Carnival Of Tears
by TaKunChann
Summary: Vash, the ladies, and Nicolas D. Wolfwood are at it again....
1. Default Chapter

The Humanoid Typhoon walked around Mei City with a smirk on his face. His arms braced a bag of doughnuts that he had just purchased. Eagerly, he reached in, stuffing his face with one and chewing loudly and obnoxiously. He had a goofy grin on his face after he swallowed the doughnut.  
His hand waved over to a group of beautiful woman dressed in tight garments showing a little too much cleavage. One of the females gave Vash a wink and waved lightly toward him. "Oh yeah. she digs me.. " Vash said to himself as he walked away from the woman.  
He suddenly felt a fist slam against his head. "ARGH!" he yelled as he turned back to see Meryl Strife and Millie Thompson behind him. "Hello Mr. Vash!" Millie yelled at the top of her lungs. "No!" Vash placed a hand over Millie's mouth and looked around, hoping nobody had heard the loud- mouthed woman who seemed to have the personality of a five year old.  
Nobody had heard or nobody seemed to care at the moment, as they were all walking around, doing their own thing, minding their own business. Vash let out a sigh of relief. "What are you girls doing here?" he asked.  
"What do you think we're doing? We're doing our job.." Meryl mumbled as she shook her head. "And what's the big deal with you hitting on those women! They're way out of your league!"  
Vash's eye twitched as he glared at Meryl. "What do you mean out of my league!" Meryl fanned herself. The heat sure was increasing. You could feel it cooking up your skin. It was like they were under an oven light. She looked to him, not hearing a word he had spoken. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"  
Vash slapped his face and shook his head. "Woman are weird.", he mumbled. These insurance girls were giving him a major headache. Maybe it would just be better if he knocked them both unconscious and throw them over a cliff. No, no. He couldn't do that. Killing is bad! That was part of his important morals anyway.  
Millie picked up Meryl and moved closer to a building while Vash stood there shaking his head. "Why me.." Vash complained. "Um. Mr. Vash, watch out!" Millie warned. Vash pulled his hand away and looked to see a swarm of people rushing his way. "AH! WHAT THE?!" Vash was knocked down and stomped by hundreds of feet. He twitched and spasmed after the crowd had ran down the dirt road.  
"Geez, Meryl. what was that about?" Millie wondered as she placed Meryl down on her feet. Meryl felt so tiny compared to everyone else. She dusted herself off and shook her head as she answered. "I have no clue." She looked down at Vash. "Are you still alive?" Vash leapt to his feet, nodding quickly. "It takes more a crowd of excited people to take me out!" Vash answered with a smile. "Shucks." Meryl snapped her fingers in disappointment. "What's that suppose to mean!?" Vash asked. His eyes widened in anger. "Nothing! Calm down Mr. Outlaw." Meryl answered. "Let's go see what all the commotion in about!" Millie grabbed both Vash and Meryl by the hands and started to run toward the crowd. Vash and Meryl fell to the floor and got dragged by the tall, childish woman.  
"ARGH! IT BURNS!" Vash screamed. Meryl looked as if her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. "Millie! Don't pull to hard! You might pull my arm out!"  
Millie stopped and let them both go as she looked up on at a man standing on a wooden stage. "Come one, come all! The Mei City yearly festival event is going to start tomorrow! Please don't hesitate to grab your young one's and loved one's and bring them on down!" The man was dressed like a clown and even wore make up and a funny orange wig. Millie began to giggle.  
"Oh, Meryl! Vash! Let's go to the carnival!" Millie jumped up and down excitedly. Vash and Meryl both stood up at the same time. "Carnival, huh? Sounds fun." Vash commented. Meryl looked at him and shook her head. "Carnivals are for children." Vash smirked as he looked back at Meryl and replied "Well, yer short enough to be a child!"  
A moment later, Millie and Meryl walked away from the crowd. Vash was lying with his face against the ground, a huge bruise sticking out of his head. "Why me.. Why me!" he cried. People stared at him weirdly. "Weirdo." the clown muttered as he walked off stage. 


	2. Carnval of Tears cont

Vash the Stampede was up early. He was pushing his way through the crowded streets of Mei City. True, the carnival was later tonight, but it looked as if people couldn't wait. Shops were crowded and children were dancing around the fountain with masks on. Vash smiled as he adjusted his yellow-lensed glasses. His blue orbs floated from person to person and he couldn't help but smile wider as he saw the excited expressions on their faces.  
  
"Heh, must be some carnival." he said to himself as someone brushed against his shoulder. He didn't bother looking to see who it was, he kept moving forward. He didn't know where he was going, but he was having the time of his life seeing all the delightful faces. His smile slowly faded as he stepped on a big glop of manure from some animal that must have had diarrhea.  
  
Vash's eye winced as people turned to stare at him. Giggles and laughter rose about and Vash let out a sigh as he moved over to faucet to clean his long black boot. "Is it me, or does bad luck just follow me around everywhere..." he said with a sigh.  
  
Suddenly, he was knocked off his feet by someone and he flew to the ground, skidding across the dirt. His glasses flew off and landed a few yards from him. He sat up and looked to see who or what had knocked him over, only to spot a female with brown hair and green eyes, sitting up herself and staring back at him. "Oh! I'm so very sorry!" she stammered as she got to her knees.   
  
Vash pushed off the floor with his hands and was up on his feet in seconds. He held his hand out to the girl to help her up. The young girl gladly accepted and brushed dirt off of Vash's long red trench coat. "Please! Forgive me! I didn't mean to!" her eyes suddenly widened, and she looked around for something.  
  
Vash looked behind him and spotted a package. He quickly picked it up and held it out to her. "This what you're looking for?" he questioned. The girl quickly snatched it from his hand, nodding with a smile. She looked so cute in the long blue dress she wore. She was about seventeen. That's all Vash could tell about the girl from her complexion.  
  
"Thank you so much!" she nodded and looked up to stare in Vash's eyes with her own green hues. Vash stared deep into her eyes. He was looking so deep that it made the girl feel uncomfortable. "Is... something that matter?" she asked.  
  
"What's your name?" Vash continued staring into her eyes. "Um... MaryRose Ackland." she answered with a shakey voice. "MaryRose... that's a pretty name." Vash paused for a moment, then placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. MaryRose flinched and lowered her eyes to his hand. "I can tell somethings wrong." Vash said.  
  
"What do you mean?" the girl looked up, smiling sweetly. "That smile, and those eyes. They aren't the one's of someone that's happy. I can tell. I have the same smile, and the same eyes." As Vash answered, the girl gulped and placed a hand on Vash's before she pushed it off and lowered it. "I don't know what you mean, sir... but I'm afraid I must be going now." the girl kept her smile as she quickly walked away from Vash.  
  
Vash watched her float away and disappear into the crowd of people. "Poor girl." Vash said to himself as he bent over to pick up his glasses. He suddenly felt his rear rub up against something soft. "HEY!"  
  
The voice of a muscular male boomed out behind Vash. Vash had chose to bend over at the wrong time. His butt was against the males crotch. "You trying to rape me?!" the voice sent a chill through Vash's spine as he stood up and turned to face a nine foot man dressed in leather. "No sir! It was an accident! I swear!" Vash slowly backed away from the large frowning man.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Meryl and Millie just happened to walk by the same area a few minutes later. Meryl heard a cry for help and she looked to see Vash put in a headlock by the large man. "Oh God.... Millie, just keep walking..." Meryl said as she moved through the crowd. Millie stopped and watched for a minute as Vash screamed. "Insurance ladies! Come! Help! I can't breath!" Vash's face was blue and he began to wave his arms around frantically.  
  
"Bye Mr.Vash! See you at the hotel!" Millie said, waving back at him calmly as she walked away. The man finally let Vash go and growled. "I suggest you don't ever do that again, you sick freak!" as the man walked away, Vash mumbled, "Note to self... never bend over in front of large men...." 


	3. Carnival of Tears 3

Vash was running. His red trench coat trailing behind him as his long black boots stomped against the sand in the desert. His blue hues had fear in them. Tears were streaming down his face. Around him was a baron nothingness. No life, nothing. Just a big space to be lonely in. He was choking on sobs as he suddenly stopped. He looked around, only to yell out the name of a person he had lost a long time ago. "REM! REM! It's horrible Rem! There's no one here!" he spoke to himself. He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he suddenly felt a wave of nausea rush over him. He felt he would throw up. "Rem... what happened to everything?!"  
  
"Vash... no one has the right to take the life of another..." Rem's voice rang out. Vash swung around to see Rem Seibrem... the girl whom Vash loved and continued to love, even after her death. She stood before him, smiling at him. She was dressed in that white shirt and those jeans, the outfit she always wore. She smiled at him and Vash began to smile back, tears still in his eyes.  
  
"Rem... I have no idea what's happening." Rem began to fade like a ghost. She had appeared only to begin to vanish. Vash reached his hand out toward her, only to have his digits go through her body before she was completely gone. "REM! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!", he yelled aloud.  
  
Laughter was heard from behind Vash, a shadow blanketing his form. The laughter grew more maniacal. Vash knew who was laughing. He knew the laugh of his own brother. Slowly turning his head to peer behind him, Vash let out a scream as he saw Knives standing there with the head of a female. Long black hair, eyes wide in fear. Knives laughed more and more hysterically as he saw Vash's reaction.   
  
Vash's brother was holding the head of Rem. Vash stood up and let out ear piercing screams, tears gushing out of his eyes like an open faucet. "REM! REMMMMMM!" he screamed as Knives dropped the girls head on the floor. A smile formed on his face as his own blue eyes shimmered. "I killed her Vash... what are you going to do about it? What are you going to do Vash?"  
  
Vash shivered with hatred, anger, and fear as he heard his brother's voice. "KNIVES!!!!!!!!" he yelled as he grabbed his gun from his hoster and fired a bullet at his brother's forehead. Before the bullet even managed to touch Knives forehead, the desert floor, the sky, the area Vash was in began to crack like glass. His blue eyes darted about as he watched the world crumble around him. All he could do was scream, "WHY KNIVES! WHY!!!!!????"  
  
Meryl and Millie rushed into Vash's room as they heard him screaming in his sleep. Tears were flowing down his cheek, his eyes were clenched shut as he screamed again and again. "KNIVES! KNIVES! WHY KNIVES!? KNIVES! WHY!"   
  
Meryl quickly ran toward Vash and began to shake him. "Vash! Vash! Wake up!" Vash's eyes shot open as he sat up in bed, screaming Knives name once more. "KNIVES!!!!!!" His breathing were coming out as an animal that was dying from a very bad wound. Vash looked to see Meryl sitting behind him, rubbing his back gently. "It's okay... it was just a bad dream..." she said, comforting him.  
  
Vash breathed in deep to relax. His heart was pounding. It felt like it would leap out of his chest. "I'm sorry..." Vash said as he slowly let a smile creep onto his face. "Why were you screaming about knives?" Millie Thompson asked as she walked closer to the bed. She was dressed in her brown pajama's. Meryl was dressed in a short, purple night gown.  
  
"I was... having this terrible dream where I had a bunch of toast and butter, but I had no knives! You know... a person would be going crazy if they had some great toast and yummy butter and no butter knife!" he lied as he chuckled. He didn't want anyone to get involved with his problems. He didn't want anyone to really know about his past or what he really was. He sighed after he finished chuckling. Would anyone really believe that story?  
  
"Oh! I had a dream like that too! It was scary! I know I would have gone crazy if I had no butter knives to spread butter with!" Millie said with a smile. Vash lifted a brow, was she serious? The tall, yet childish female giggled as she looked over to Meryl who too had her brow lifted toward Millie.  
  
Vash rubbed his bare chest. So many scars on his body. He looked to Meryl and smiled. "Thanks for waking me up... it was such a terrible dream..." Meryl looked up at Vash and blushed slightly. In her mind, she was thinking, "He's kind of cute.... kinda.... maybe..."   
  
Vash went placed his hand down and began to caress the bed gently. "Wow... this bed is pretty soft." he looked to Millie and smiled. Meryl's jaw dropped. Her fist was shaking as she blushed even more. Her elbow shifted back as she aimed the fist right for Vash's face.  
  
"Mr. Vash! That isn't the bed! That's Meryl's leg!" Millie said with a giggle. Vash's eyes widened as he looked down to see Millie was right! Vash had been caressing Meryl's thigh the whole time. He gulped as he shifted his orbs to Meryl's face, only to be greeted with a punch to the face. "AUGH!"   
  
The night came, and the carnival was set. People were walking around, laughing, smiling. Everyone seemed so happy. Vash walked beside the insurance girls with a smile beaming on his face. "Wow... everyone looks like they're having a good time!" he looked to Meryl with a smile and she nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Still... I don't know why I came here. There's work to be done you know. This carnival is just wasting our time." she sighed and shook her head. Millie looked down at Meryl and giggled. "Meryl! You really should take a break from work all the time. Too much work isn't good for you!"   
  
"I fail to see how having fun is going to make things better."  
  
"It's relaxing and so great! Time out to enjoy isn't a bad thing!"  
  
"Well... I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't with this lunk head."  
  
Meryl turned her head to look to Vash, only to see him at a shooting booth, recieving two prizes. A stuffed dog and cow. Vash walked back over to the the girls, handing the cow to Millie and the dog to Meryl with a smile. "Here you are! It's the least I can give you for paying for my ticket."  
  
Meryl took the stuffed toy in her hands and blushed once again today. She smiled softly as she looked up at Vash. "You didn't have to..." Millie's childish laughter was heard as she swung the stuffed cow around. "Oh! Thank you Mr.Vash! It's adorable!" she looked at Vash with a smile after the thank you.  
  
"No problem!" Vash smirked to her and then looked back to Meryl. The two of them locked eyes for a moment. Meryl's heart began to beat faster. Suddenly, they both were shoved toward the ferris wheels direction. "You two should ride together!" Millie said excitedly as she grabbed them by the collars, dragging them toward the ride. "MILLIE! NOT AGAIN!" Meryl yelled. 


	4. Carnival of tears 4

A moment later, Vash and Meryl were sitting next to each other on the Ferris Wheel ride. The ride operator pulled the lever and gave them a thumbs up. Meryl laughed nervously as she saw that. Vash lifted a finger up as he yelled toward the operator, "Hey! Stop it at the top!"   
  
The operator nodded and when Vash and Meryl's seats were at the highest point of the ride, the operator pulled the lever again to have the wheel halt at the top. Meryl looked around to see the ride and the people. So many lights, so many sounds. She exhaled slowly as she said, "It's so pretty..."  
  
Vash nodded as he looked down at everything. He let out a pleasured sigh before he felt a jolt run through his spine. He felt Meryl's hand lock fingers with his. He looked toward the blue haired girl, eyes locked once again. They began to move their lips toward each other. Merly shut her eyes as she waited for Vash to kiss her.  
  
The romantic scene was disturbed by screams of pain and shrieks of terror. Vash and Meryl quickly looked down to see a crowd of people, running frantically. "MURDERER! RUN! RUN!" A man yelled before a knife suddenly pierced his throat. In one end and out the other. Vash watched in horror as more knives flew into the people. Blood flying everywhere to turn the once enjoyable scene into a morbid one.  
  
Suddenly, a figure in a long black trench coat stepped out of the shadows. On it's head was a top hat, the brim of the hat hiding the face of the figure. In one hand, the being held the wrist of a young boy. In the other, it held a large machete. With amazing skill, the machete was twirled in between the fingers of the figure. "VASH THE STAMPEDE. IF YOU ARE HERE, THEN I DEMAND YOU TO COME OUT NOW." A female voice boomed from the the figure.  
  
The little boy began to cry as the girl in the trench coat slowly lifted her huge machete up. People watched from far away began to whisper as controversy was started up.   
  
"Vash the Stampede?! The Humanoid Typhoon?!"  
  
"What does she want with him?"  
  
"Maybe she's his girlfriend!"  
  
"They're both insane killers after all..."  
  
Vash's eyes widened as the female, with her hand held up in the sky, twirled the macehete in her fingers, the blade now pointing down at the child. She would kill him in one quick stab. Meryl, still holding Vash's hand squeezed it tightly. "Vash... don't go..." she murmured. She was worried.  
  
"I have to... if I don't... she'll kill more..." Vash said as he looked to Meryl, lifting her hand up to his lips and kissing it softly. "Sorry. I won't allow anymore to die...", with that, Vash released Meryl's hand and leapt out of the Ferris wheel. Everyone watched as Vash's red trench coat fluttered in the air. More whispers and ooh's and ahh's.  
  
With a loud stomp, Vash landed on the ground, standing perfectly with a frown on his face. The female's voice rang out again... this time, it sounded familiar.   
  
"What are you doing...? Where is Vash the Stampede..."  
  
"I am Vash the Stampede."  
  
"Cut the crap..."  
  
"... what do you mean?"  
  
"...."  
  
A moment of silence. The suddenly picked up and the females black trench coat danced against it. She let the boys wrist go and the child ran, jumping over the bodies that lay on the floor. Vash still couldn't see this woman's eyes and only the bottom half of her face was visible.  
  
"Why did you kill these people?" Vash asked. She slowly raised her hand and Vash hesistated. His hand shifted over to the left of his trench coat. That's where his hoster holding that long, silver .45 revolver was sitting. He didn't want to draw, but he knew this girl was dangerous. She had exact precision with those knives. None of the one's she threw had missed their targets.   
  
"I should be asking you the same question... destroyer of The City, July!" she countered. Vash felt his stomach hurting again. Pictures ran through his head... him and Knives... him firing at Knives... a large powerful blast that destroyed the whole City of July.   
  
The girl growled as she pinched the brim of the hat, slowly lifted it up to reveal her whole face and those green eyes. Vash's eyes widened in shock and suprise. "MARY ANNE!?" The girl he had run into earlier... it was her? The knife throwing maniac was the innocent little girl he had accidently knocked down this afternoon? "What are you doing?! Mary Anne?!"  
  
Mary Anne sighed softly as she lifted up the top hat. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and she frowned at Vash as another breeze pressed against her back. Her hair whipped about her as she placed the top hat back on. "Getting revenge for over a thousand people.... now prepare to die... VASH THE STAMPEDE!" 


	5. Carnival of tears 5

The show down was already unfolding. Vash slowly slipped his hand under his red trench coat, licking his lips and coating them with saliva as his blue eyes suddenly gleamed a different color. Mary Anne watched as Vash's blue hues flashed a demonic red. She let out a gasp of surprise before the orbs of The Humanoid Typhoon returned to the color of the oceans. "I don't like it when people die... infact, I hate it...." Vash said as he narrowed his eyes at Mary Anne.  
  
The girl pointed her large machete at Vash and screamed loud enough for everyone to hear, "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT HATING DEATH! WERE YOU NOT THE SAME MAN THAT DESTROYED THE CITY OF JULY? True... after that blast, there was only one casualty, but I bet you enjoyed making those people homeless! I bet you enjoyed watching them suffer as they killed each other for food and water! You probably laughed when you saw fathers killing children over food! DIDN'T YOU! YOU DAMN DEMON!"  
  
Murmurs arose behind them. Vash felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face. "No... That's not true...." he managed to choke out. Vash felt something wet slide down his cheek, only to discover it was a tear. "Then why did you do it Vash? Why did you destroy a whole city in mere seconds? Why? I want to know!" Mary Anne shoved her free hand into her trench coat, only to pull out several knives in a balled fist. "If you give me a good enough reason... I'd still kill you. My family died because of you... my friends... my loved one's...."  
  
Vash wiped away his tears and shook his head toward Mary Anne. "I'm sorry... I don't remember my past... I can't remember what happened in July..." he lowered his gaze to the ground, unsure of what else to say. He really didn't remember anything that happened in July. After he woke up from the debris, his memory was blank. All he had were bits and pieces of the past. It wasn't even enough to live by sometimes...  
  
"YOU SPEAK RUBBISH! You, the man who's killed thousands and maybe even more, telling me that you don't like it when people die?" the female screamed back as a reply. She then brought the hand with the many knives up to the brim of her hat, tapping it so she could hide her eyes. "Whatever.... it doesn't matter. You will die, and pay for your sins. The only reason these people died were because they were in my way of hunting you down..."  
  
Vash suddenly glared at Mary Anne and she took a defensive stance. "That's no excuse to kill others! If you wanted to call me out, you could have just done so! You didn't have to create corpses to make me get out here!"  
  
Mary Anne let out a low growl as she let the machete dance about her fingers, twirling it skillfully as an orb from under the hat eyed Vash. "You're a fool... You act like you're so innocent... but you created this demon in me ... you made me this way... you made me kill countless people just to get money and food to support myself. I've been training countless years for the day when I would finally find Vash the Stampede... to slaughter him." Vash opened his mouth to speak.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I became what you are... a killing machine... so I could find you."  
  
"But I'm not a killing machine..."  
  
"THE HELL YOU AREN'T! SHUT UP AND RECIEVE PUNISHMENT!"  
  
"Mary Anne... you've got this all wrong...."  
  
"SHUT UP! You're trying to trick me! Well guess what Vash! I haven't taken so many lives in vain! I did it to up my skills to match with yours and be as cold-hearted as you were when you ruined so many lives! I fought with the best and was honored to take their lives in order to become stronger!"  
  
Vash's eyes started to water again. Had he really done this? Had he really created such a dark being? He couldn't remember anything that happened in the Lost City of July. His breathing became ragged. "No... Mary Anne... please... I know I didn't mean to kill anyone. I don't remember what happened, but I know that I didn't want to destroy anything or harm anyone..."  
  
"Yeah, he's right! Mr. Vash would never harm a soul!" Millie's voice suddenly broke out from the crowd. The tall girl ran toward Vash holding a large device. It was her restraining gun. This weapon fired no bullets but a heavy metal cross that would knock down opponents and pin them to down. Millie stopped beside Vash and his eyes widened as he turned to scream at the insurance girl. "Millie! It's too dangerous! GET OUT OF HERE!"  
  
Mary Anne's eyes lit up as she saw the perfect chance to attack. "YOU VALUE LIFE THAT MUCH, VASH? Well, what about this?!" Mary Anne flung six knives toward Millie and laughed as those sharp blades spiraled in the air, heading for the girls body. Vash gasped, leaping in front of Millie and drawing out his gun to fire six bullets at each of the blades. Each bullet slammed into each of the cutlery to either shatter them or send them flying off course.  
  
"He actually tried to save her..." Mary Anne murmured under her breath as she narrowed her brows at Vash. Vash quickly flipped the gun open to fill the revolver with bullets once again. He then flicked his wrist to have the weapon clap shut. The long silver revolver was loaded and ready for action. "His gunship is amazing. But why hasn't he tried to shoot me yet." She began to wonder, suddenly feeling uneasy about killing him. She shook her head, damning herself for thinking something like that. "Can't have doubts... I'm here to make him pay."  
  
"VASH! Be careful!" Meryl's voice came from the Ferris wheel. Vash turned to look at her and give her a smile. "Worried about me?" he chuckled. Millie's jaw dropped as she smacked Vash so that his face would turn to spot Mary Anne in front of him, Machete in hand, psychotic grin on her face. "That hurt!" he yelled at Millie as he watched Mary Anne's movements closely and prepared to evade.  
  
The girl quickly slashed to her left, hoping to deal a heavy blow that would cut Vash's head off in one clean swipe. Vash let out a yelp as he jumped back to avoid the large, sharp weapon. In doing so, he had slammed against Millie, sending her stumbling toward the crowd until she finally fell on her bottom.  
  
He did it intentionally, as he wanted Millie out of the way. He didn't want her to get hurt after all! He had leapt to the rear fast enough to avoid having his head chopped off, however the sleeve of his trench coat was grazed and as Vash landed, a large tear was visible on the upper half of the sleeve, revealing a light scar on his flesh. Some blood dripped out and hit the floor. Mary Anne let out an ear piercing battle cry as she lifted her machete up in the air and then swung it down toward Vash, ready to cut him in half. 


	6. Carnival of Tears finale

"STOP THIS!" Vash yelled as he lifted his long, silver .45 revolver into the air to guard against the machete. His gun was made of a stronger material... though, he himself didn't even know what it was. Vash held his firearm up with one hand as Mary Anne growled pushing her machete down harder against the barrel of his weapon. His hands trembled as Vash found that the girl was unbelievably strong! For having such a light looking frame and appearing young in age, Mary Anne had strength to rival a bull!  
  
Millie sat up and began to cry as she watched Vash fight for his life. "Leave him alone!" The young girl yelled. Meryl began to climb down from the Ferris wheel, jumping onto the ground and rushing toward the scene where Vash and Mary Anne were dueling. She pushed through the crowd of people, listening to their comments with disgust.  
  
"I hope she kills that bastard! He's a sick one! If he lives, we'll have to kill him ourselves!"  
  
"Forget it! I'm getting my gun, I'll kill them both!"  
  
Meryl, now out of the crowd, leapt to Millie's side and drew small handguns out from under her white coat, aiming them at Mary Anne. "STOP! I'll shoot!"  
  
"MERYL! GET YOURSELF AND MILLIE OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Vash cried out. He turned to scream at them. "GO NOW!" Another opening for Mary Anne. She was one to take advantage when this foolish man tried to protect these idiotic insurance girls. She grinned and jammed her elbow into Vash's gut. Vash trembled in pain as Mary Anne kept her elbow against his stomach and pulled out more blades from her trench coat, giggling like a sick rehab patient. "NO!" Meryl yelled aloud as she fired her gun at Mary Anne.  
  
The girl hissed as she head-butt Vash in the face to send him stumbling backwards. She then knocked away Meryl's bullets with one swing of her machete. She had such perfect timing. She was quite the formidable foe. Mary Anne hissed at the females that were aiding Vash. "You're with him!? You'll die to then!" Mary Anne yelled as she lifted her hand into the air to fling blades at Meryl and Millie. Millie crawled over in front of Meryl and leapt up with her arms spread out to act as a human shield. "I won't let you hurt Meryl!"  
  
"Then die protecting her..." Mary Anne said with a smirk. It disappeared from her face as she heard a gun shot and cracking. The upper half of the blades fell down to the floor, shattered and useless. Slowly, Mary Anne brought down her hand and looked over to Vash, dropping the broken hilts she held her hand. "Stop protecting them! You're suppose to kill me damn it!" she roared as she dashed toward Vash. Vash didn't budge, he was panting and baring his teeth out of anger. "Stop this, Mary Anne! Stop now- "He was stopped as he felt Mary Anne's knee dig deep against his gut. Vash stumbled back, gasping for air.  
  
"Stop... ple-please." he managed to say. It came out as a simple mutter, but she had heard him fine. In response, she yelled and lifted her foot from the ground to jam it against Vash's jaw. "GAH!", was the only thing that escaped from his lips as he was sent spiraling into the air. "Now..." Mary Anne hissed as she pulled out several knives. She hesitated before she flung them. This couldn't be Vash the Stampede... this man wasn't even firing back at her. But his aim... his gunmanship earlier... he was truly skilled. She would have been laying dead on the floor right now if he would actually fight back to kill her. Tears cascaded down Vash's cheek and flew through the air.  
  
Mary Anne was shaking her head. She had to snap out of it. This was the man that destroyed her life! All of these thoughts raced through her head as everything moved in slow motion. Her hands squeezed at the blades as she cried out and flung them at Vash while he was rotating in air. "NO!!!!!!" Meryl screamed as she ran from behind Millie.  
  
The knives cut and slashed at Vash's body as they flew by him. She didn't kill him, but she could have! He hit the floor, with a thud. He was still breathing, but blood was coming from his wounds like crazy. He felt a painful stinging all over his body as Mary Anne walked over to him. She stood over him, a foot to each side. She looked down at him as she slowly squatted down to sit on his stomach. She was staring deep into Vash's eyes.  
  
"You can't be Vash the Stampede... who are you?" Mary Anne lifted a brow at him as she brought the machete to his adams apple. "Vash the Stampede... the one who ruined so many lives... you can't be him. What kind of sorry excuse for a murderer are you?"  
  
"I'm not a murderer.... I never meant to hurt anyone."  
  
"Shut up..."  
  
"It's true... "  
  
"You could have killed me many times already... why are you letting me pummel you?"  
  
"I don't want to hurt you..."  
  
Mary Anne tossed the Machete from her hand and grabbed Vash by the collar, shaking him. "WHY?! I'M TRYING TO KILL YOU, DAMN IT! FIGHT BACK!" She began to slap at Vash's face. Again and again. A palm, then a backhand, the motions repeating with more fury after each blow. "HIT ME! HIT ME! HIT ME! DO SOMETHING!" She yelled as she continued her assault on him.  
  
Still, Vash made no sound or movement; he just stared up at her with his blue hues. "I told you... I don't want to hurt you... you've been hurt enough... I know you're heart is aching...." Mary Anne pressed her face against Vash's chest, sobbing hysterically as she yelled at him.  
  
"Lies! I worked hard to become just like you! To destroy as you did, so when we met, I would have no fear of taking your life! WHY CAN'T I KILL YOU! I killed so many other people just to be strong for this day! And...and!" she sobbed some more. "I just can't seem to bring myself to kill you! You're different... you're actually protecting lives! WHY?!" she coughed as her wind pipe tightened in her throat. "You're even risking your own life to protect others! You can't be Vash the Stampede! Why did it have to be you?!"  
  
Vash wrapped his arms around her and sighed softly as he embraced her. "It was all a mistake...I know you hated me so bad, you wanted to get revenge for your parents and everyone in July... but I swear to you... I didn't mean to kill anyone..." Mary Anne buried her face into her hands as she yelled to herself.  
  
"Then I've been living life wrong! I've been nothing but a murderer! All my life, I wanted to do the right thing... I thought it would be right to kill you...but each life I took... I only felt more and more pain... I just tried to hide it.... so I could be strong..." she didn't fight back as Vash held her. It was nice to be held for once... she hadn't been held like that for a long time. Suddenly, a vision popped in her head of her smiling family. Her mother's voice rang through her head.  
  
"Mary Anne, remember that there's more to people than you think. Don't be quick to judge, always find out the truth about things... people are good in heart." The smiling face of her sweet mother had manifested itself out of the back of her head. She had been trying to hide them all along. She heard someone speaking in her head again... her father. "Grow up to be a good girl... help people. There are many evil people out there, but there are many good one's. They're just hard to find."  
  
Suddenly, the image of her parents disappeared and Mary Anne began to open up to Vash. "I lied to myself... I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I would help by putting this man's life to rest... but... what good would that do? I just killed several people... I don't deserve to live...."  
  
Vash responded back with a piece of advice. "You know you made a mistake... that's what counts. You don't give up when you mess up. You don't just lie down and lose... You have to keep going. You have to live on for your loved one's. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to be suffering like this. I'm sure they would want you to live. Just start over again, I know it sounds hard, but I know your heart is strong enough to do so. You loved your family and friends and everyone so much... but you let darkness take over your heart. I'm sorry if I was the cause of it, but I swear to you, I would never take another's life..."  
  
Mary Anne stared into Vash's eyes and then slowly got up, nodding. "I believe you... as hard as it is to accept, I believe what you are saying... I was wrong this whole time... I was just a cold-hearted killer... I wasn't the young girl that my mom wanted to raise me to be." She smiled as she got offered her hand to him. He took it and she lifted him up with ease.  
  
"Thank you Vash.... I promise I'll start a new life... I'll live through... I'll start again.... but..." she smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek. Vash blushed a bit. Behind him, Meryl's eyebrow was twitching as Mary Anne spoke to Vash with a sorrowful tone.  
  
"How do you live... with such terrible pain? You're such a kind-hearted person... but so many want to kill you. Why do you bother to go on? " she asked.  
  
A picture of his brother, Knives, flashed in Vash's head. "No matter how horrible things get, I won't give up. I'm living on... to correct mistakes...."  
  
Mary Anne suddenly admired the man she had hated so much. How could she degrade herself to being such a horrible person, a horrible murderer, to take the life of an innocent man? She didn't care about killing him anymore. She didn't even care if he was lying. If he were lying, she would live his lie. She would give herself a reason to change... to be a better person. To continue living for herself and her mother and father's souls... instead of taking lives.  
  
Suddenly, a shot rang out. Vash's eyes quivered in shock and anger as he lowered his gaze to see a huge hole in Mary Anne's side. Vash heard a male's voice come from the crowd. "Kill both the psycho's!"  
  
A flying cross-slammed into the male's face, his gun flying into the air as he flew into a concession stand. "YOU BASTARD!" Millie yelled, holding her gun. She was crying as she began to run toward the man to beat the life out of him. Meryl grabbed Millie and tried to restrain her. "MILLIE! STOP! STOP! You can't do that! It won't do any good!"  
  
Vash kept his gaze on Mary Anne's side, blood was pouring from her body very quickly. With her last ounce of strength, Mary Anne placed a finger on Vash's chin and pushed it upward so she could stare into his eyes. "Before my parents died... they told me to fall in love with a loving man.... " She gasped before continuing, "... when I see them on the other side, I can tell them I fell in love with the man I once hated...."  
  
Tears streamed down Vash's face as Mary Anne turned into a corpse in his arms. He let out a loud scream filled with such sadness that the citizens began to back away. "RUN! VASH THE STAMPEDE IS ANGRY! HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!" Someone cried and they all began to dash away from him. Vash fell to his knees, hugging Mary Anne tightly in his arms.  
  
"Who shot her?!" Vash demanded to know as he got up. The crowd was up and running! Vash laid Mary Anne down as he got up and began to walk toward the man who shot the gun earlier. He was a middle-aged man, dressed in a white shirt and slacks. "GET AWAY! YER ALL DAMN DEMONS! YOU ALL DESERVE TO DIE!" He yelled, and while his mouth was open, Vash shoved the long barrell of his gun into the male's mouth. "WHY DID YOU DO IT?!" Vash Demanded.  
  
"Vash!" Meryl ran over to Vash and clung to his free arm, trying to pull him away. "VASH! PLEASE! This won't make things better!" Vash heard Meryl's voice, but he felt a demon controlling him at the moment. "I killed her Vash... what are you going to do?" Knives voice slipped from out of nowhere.  
  
Suddenly, the male's form began to change shape in Vash's head. Vash was imagining this man to be Knives. The one who had killed Rem. His thumb slowly slid up as he pulled the hammer of his gun back. His finger was quivering against the trigger. "SHE WAS GOING TO START OVER! WHY DIDN"T YOU GIVE HER A CHANCE?"  
  
"VASH!!!!" Meryl yelled. "Don't kill him!" she yelled again and again. The man began to cry tears and sob as he tried to back away, only to find his back against the wall of the concession stand. "Dun Kew meh!" he managed to say with the silver barrell in his mouth. "Pease! Pease!" he repeated like a broken record. "VASH! IF YOU TAKE THIS MAN'S LIFE! WHAT GOOD WILL IT DO!?"  
  
Meryl screamed right into his ear. Vash looked to Meryl... and for a brief second, he saw an image of Rem in her. Tears came flooding out of Vash like the water works. He pulled his gun out of the man's mouth and the male quickly got to his feet, running toward the direction the crowd went. "HE'S CRAZY! HE'S A KILLER! HE'S A KILLER!" The man yelled as he disappeared behind the Ferris wheel.  
  
"Vash... we should get out of here... now..." Meryl sighed as she rubbed his back. Vash clung to her and hugged her tightly. "She was going to start over... she was going to... to start over...." he sobbed. Meryl tried to fight back her tears as she held Vash. Millie was kneeling in front of Mary Anne's body with tears streaming down her face. "It's not fair...." And thus, the carnival of tears... had come to an end. Vash and the girls were not found in the city the next day. All the scavengers sent by the mayor had found was a red rose resting on the area Mary Anne's body had laid the day before. 


End file.
